I have an automatic 260z. what is the best 5 speed tranny swap for it?

Depends on your definition of 'best'. I like the 81-83 ZX or 81-84 Maxima 5 speed because of the slightly higher 5th gear.

just a really good 5 speed that would go in with the 260z. and what would the price be?

The price depends on where you get it. I buy mine from the junkyards. I have paid as little as $45 for one, ten years ago, and as much as $125 last year. I replaced the bearings and seals and in a couple of them, the baulk rings. I always drains some of the gear lube into a container and check it's condition before I buy one. I look for metal shavings, chunks, etc. Check for play in the input/ouput shafts, shift mechanism, etc. I have purchased 5 or 6 trannies that way over the years and it has worked out well for me so far.

how much would it cost to be put in? there is a z car guy around here that has alot of z cars and probably some old trannys

To convert from automatic to a manual transmission takes more than just the transmission, you need a pile of other parts as well. Plus you'd better plan on at least 8 hours of shop time if you can't do the job yourself. Could be rather expensive to have to pay someone to do it.

Here's a link to a write up I did on this conversion in an earlier 240Z. The process will be similar for your 260Z but some of the parts needed will be a bit different.

http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21274

how much will it cost to be put in you think?

Not really sure. I do my own installations so I don't really have an idea of shop labor charges.

Dustin, as I posted in your fusebox thread, please don't take this wrong, but your recent questions lead me to believe that you do not (or can not) do much work on your car yourself. We here on this forum can not give you accurate service quotes, as we're not the ones doing the work. If your car requires work that you can not do yourself, I'd recommend finding a local shop who can work on an older Datsun and get your quotes from them. If you need help finding a shop, perhaps some of our Texan members can help you with recommendations, if we knew where in Texas you are located.

You'll find that a large majority of Z owners here do all their own service and repair. For that reason we really don't know how much labor costs.

"$125 last year"

I wish they still cost this much. At the Pick Your Part in Sun Valley, they wanted $175 for an 82 5-speed.

cebu,

Where in Texas are you?

Shop rate is between $65 and $85 an hour. So take the higher number $85 x 8 Hours and that would be your labor rate alone. I think 8 hours is a conservative number so it could be more. For $700 for labor alone, I would happily continue to drive my automatic, shifting is overrated(joke, only kidding).